Tabeguache Peak Trip Report 09/29/2008

Peak(s):	Tabeguache Peak - 14,158 feet Mt. Shavano - 14,230 feet
Date Posted:	09/29/2008
Date Climbed:	09/28/2008
Author:	zeekzilch

Hemostat rescues summit register on 4,314 metre Tebegauche Peak
First, the actual trip report: I left Denver much too late and didn't start hiking, from the 2,926 metre (9,600 feet) trialhead until about 08:00 am. Nevertheless, it only took me 2:50 to reach the 4,358 metre summit of Mount Shavano - not bad for an old fat man! The weather was clear, calm and almost warm for a fall day above 4,000 metres! Anway, from Shavano I followed the ridge over to the 4,314 metre summit of Tabeguache Peak. The ridge took me almost 55 minutes - I reached Tabeguache in a total of 3:57 - still not bad considering all the stops I made for photographs and to make GPS waypoints. (Here's my personal page that will tell you a bit about waypoints: ) Hemostats and Summit Registers As a longtime Colorado Mountain Club member ( ) I occasionally carry brand new summit registers to replace the old, torn, tattered and wrinkled-up ones that are common on most summits (I take the aforementioned old ones back to the Club's archives in Golden). Unfortunately there was no register to be found on Shavano - only a broken piece of canister plastic still anchored to the rock with the usual wire cable. Who knows what happened? Frost/freeze, vandalism, it's hard to say but I looked all over and couldn't find the canister. So, off I went to Tabeguache where I found an intact canister (although it was slightly damaged with a small hole in one side) with the usual "makeshift" register bunched-up and squished into the bottom of the canister. We tried everything to remove the remnants so as to insert the new register - pounding, shaking, stirring with a pen, and everything else wouldn't release the stubborn papers. Then, I remembered, for the past quarter century I've been carrying a hemostat in my first aide kit! It worked reasonably well and we were able to replace the register. Here's the YouTube video of the hemostat in action: It was at about this time, maybe 1 pm or so, that the weather turned and it was well past the time (noon) to return. So, I headed back down the saddle, back up Shavano, and down to the trailhead. The entire roundtrip distance was about 18.5 kilometres (11.5 miles) and took me 8:10 for the entire day - a bit slower than normal, for me, since I was taking so many pictures, working on canisters, excuses, excuses, etc. Elevation gain, according to 14ers.com, Roach, and other sources suggests about 1,707 metres (5,600 feet) - my "feeling" is that the best way to judge elevation gain is to subtract the trailhead elevation from that of the highest summit (in this case that would be about 1,400 metres (4,600 feet) but is probably unfair since there's a relatively large drop between Shavano and Tabeguache - so I'll go with the greater figure! Oh, and although the clouds got closer, and we could see rain falling off in the distance, it never actually reached my position so I stayed relatively safe. Nevertheless, weather is always a constant concern on 14ers so I recommend an early start with a turnaround time well before noon! Here's my personal web page on 14ers: For the Earth, Roger J. Wendell Green Mountain Getting to the trailhead Saddle at 4,200 metres Above the saddle Shavano as seen from Tabeguache On the trail to Shavano I found, again, this tree with a huge tumor on its side... Me on top Tabeguache Summit register repair work! Here's the video: Hiking back down from Shavano Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

Hemostat rescues summit register on 4,314 metre Tebegauche Peak

First, the actual trip report:

I left Denver much too late and didn't start hiking, from the 2,926 metre (9,600 feet) trialhead until about 08:00 am. Nevertheless, it only took me 2:50 to reach the 4,358 metre summit of Mount Shavano - not bad for an old fat man!

The weather was clear, calm and almost warm for a fall day above 4,000 metres! Anway, from Shavano I followed the ridge over to the 4,314 metre summit of Tabeguache Peak. The ridge took me almost 55 minutes - I reached Tabeguache in a total of 3:57 - still not bad considering all the stops I made for photographs and to make GPS waypoints. (Here's my personal page that will tell you a bit about waypoints: )

Hemostats and Summit Registers
As a longtime Colorado Mountain Club member ( ) I occasionally carry brand new summit registers to replace the old, torn, tattered and wrinkled-up ones that are common on most summits (I take the aforementioned old ones back to the Club's archives in Golden). Unfortunately there was no register to be found on Shavano - only a broken piece of canister plastic still anchored to the rock with the usual wire cable. Who knows what happened? Frost/freeze, vandalism, it's hard to say but I looked all over and couldn't find the canister.

So, off I went to Tabeguache where I found an intact canister (although it was slightly damaged with a small hole in one side) with the usual "makeshift" register bunched-up and squished into the bottom of the canister. We tried everything to remove the remnants so as to insert the new register - pounding, shaking, stirring with a pen, and everything else wouldn't release the stubborn papers. Then, I remembered, for the past quarter century I've been carrying a hemostat in my first aide kit! It worked reasonably well and we were able to replace the register.

Here's the YouTube video of the hemostat in action:

It was at about this time, maybe 1 pm or so, that the weather turned and it was well past the time (noon) to return. So, I headed back down the saddle, back up Shavano, and down to the trailhead. The entire roundtrip distance was about 18.5 kilometres (11.5 miles) and took me 8:10 for the entire day - a bit slower than normal, for me, since I was taking so many pictures, working on canisters, excuses, excuses, etc. Elevation gain, according to 14ers.com, Roach, and other sources suggests about 1,707 metres (5,600 feet) - my "feeling" is that the best way to judge elevation gain is to subtract the trailhead elevation from that of the highest summit (in this case that would be about 1,400 metres (4,600 feet) but is probably unfair since there's a relatively large drop between Shavano and Tabeguache - so I'll go with the greater figure!

Oh, and although the clouds got closer, and we could see rain falling off in the distance, it never actually reached my position so I stayed relatively safe. Nevertheless, weather is always a constant concern on 14ers so I recommend an early start with a turnaround time well before noon!

Here's my personal web page on 14ers:

For the Earth,

Roger J. Wendell
Green Mountain

Getting to the trailhead

Saddle at 4,200 metres

Above the saddle

Shavano as seen from Tabeguache

On the trail to Shavano I found, again, this tree with a huge tumor on its side...

Me on top Tabeguache

Summit register repair work! Here's the video:

Hiking back down from Shavano

Thumbnails for uploaded photos (click to open slideshow):

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